Method of and apparatus for finishing roofing elements



" Aug. 23, 1932. c OVERBURY 1,873,213

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FINISHING ROOFING ELEMENTS Filed Dec. 27, 1927 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/ Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED'STATES PATENT OFFICE" rmmrcz O. OVERBUBY, OI HILLSDALB,

NEW JERSEY, .A QSIGNOB, BY BESNE AB- EIIGNIENTS, 110 THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, IABSA- means, A COBPOBA'II ON or IASSAOHUSETTB Iamon or AND urm'rus iron Fnusnnm aoorme Emma- Application filed December a1, 1921. Serial Ill'o. 242,087.

This invention has relation to a method of and ap aratus for finishing a roofing element which has been cut to desired size and sha from a sheet of roofing. The sheet may 8 of what has heretofore been known as finished roofing, i. e., asphalt-saturated felt coated with waterproof coating and surfaced on one side with crushed slate or the like, or it may be taken in any of the intermediate stages of the process forming such a product. For

example, the elements may be cut from saturated sheeting which has simply been coated, or has not been coated, or even from a sheet of raw felt which has not been saturated. Whatever the nature of the cut elements which are to be treated, the invention resides primarily in an improved method of and means for handling the elements while a layer of coatin material and, if desired, a layer of surfacing material, are applied to portions of the elements. The improved method of handling roofing elements comprises suspending them, butt edges down, successively from a moving conveyor by which the are advanced edglewise past portions of e apparatus whic automatically apply the coating and surfacing materials as desired.

For a more com lete disclosure of the invention, reference is had to the description which follows, and to the drawing, of which,-

' Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of apparatus for carrying out the invention.

. igure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fi re 1.

igure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fi re 1.

, 'gure 4 is a detail of the apparatus on a lar er scale. F igure 5 is a section on the line 55 of igure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fi e 1.

eferring to the drawing in detail, 10 represents an endless conveyor of any suitable material and structure, such as a chain or belt. A series of clamps 11 and 12 are supported by the conveyor 10 and are spaced in such a way that each pair of clamps 11, 12

may grip the head portion of a roofing element such as a strip shingle 13, as illustrated in Figure 1, at points near the ends of the element. The clamps 11 and 12 may be provided with 'aws 14, the jaws of each clamp being pulle toward each other as by a suitable spring 15. In order to separate the jaws of a clamp, each jaw is integral with an arm extending upwardly and turning outwardly as at 16, the outward extensions 16 having suitable rollers 17 mounted thereon. In order to open the jaws 14 automatically, a suitable pair of cams 18 is provided, between which members the rollers 17 of the clamps 11 or 12 pass as the clamps come into position to seize a roofing element. It will be observed that the clamps 11 and 12 extend upwardly to different heights for reasons to be hereinafter explained. -The cam members 18 are preferably made wide enough to engage the rollers 17 of either the clamps 11 or the clamps 12. The cam 18 may comprise a pair of plates which are spaced from each other at a suitable distance to engage the rollers of a clamp passing between t em and to force the rollers of the clamp toward each other in the manner indicated in Figure 6. This results in the spreading of the jaws 14. As each clamp passes the cam 18, its jaws are spread and are thus able to straddle the head portion of a roofing element 13 as' it is rought up by a feeding device 19. The feeding of the roofing elements to the clamps 11 and 12 is so timed that the clamps 11 w ll seize the forward ends of the elements whilethe clamps 12 seize the rearward ends. The seizing of the head portion of the element 13 takes place when the rollers 17 pass beyond the cam 18 and permit the jaws 14 to come together. When a strip shingle 13 has been seized by a pair. of clamps 11, 12, the motion of the conveyor, which is driven by any suitable means, carries the strip shingle along between a pair of guide rails 20 to apparatus for applying waterproof coating material in liquid form to one or both faces of the shingle. As shown in the drawing, this coating material may be limited to the butt portions of the faces, but it is obvious that the coating may be extended to cover more of the shingle if desired. Any desired means may be cem coating whic em 10 ed for a l in coating material to the fazes of the shi ng e. As shown on the drawing, the coating material, which, for example, may be a high melting-point asphalt heated to a 'suflicient de ree of fluid ty, may be flowed onto the shing e as by one or more spouts 21 which are connected as by the pipe 22 to a suitable source of supply. As md1- cated in Figure 2, these spouts are preferably shaped so that the jet or stream of coating material coming therefrom completely covers the portion of the face which it is desired to cover. As indicated in Figure 1, four pairs of spouts are provided, but a lesser number may be found suflicient. A pan or receptacle 23 is preferably rovided to catch the exflows down the face or faces of the stri s to which it is applied and drips from the utt edge thereof. It is preferred to 'suppll the coating through the spouts 21 in s cient quantity to insure a thorough covering not onl of the faces pre-. sented to the spouts, but a so of the edges of the element in the slots 24 which define tabs on the butt portion of the stri shingle and to cover thoroughly the butt e ges 25 of the strip shingle. A suitable wiper such as a steam pipe 26 is preferabl extended across the pan 23 and so placed t at the butt edges of the shingles will wipe over the pipe 26 after leaving the spouts 21. This prevents drops or strings of asphalt or other coating material from forming on the butt edge 0 the shingle. The coated shingle thereupon progresses to apparatus for surfacmg the coated areas w1t suitable comminuted or ranular material, such as crushed slate, rick, tile or other matter, preferably mineral. This apparatus may comprise an air blast by which the granular particles may be blown a ainst the coated surfaces, or it may take the form of a mechanical device such as a plurality of rapidly revolvin dle wheels 27 which are placed at di paderent levels beneath suitable hoppers 28 from which a the granular material is dropped onto the movlng paddles of the wheels 27 and by them is P1'0]6Ct6d against the coated areas of the suspended shingles as the latter advance with the motion of the endless carrier. The hoppers 28, which are shown in Figure 3, are not illustrated in Figure 1 in order to avoid confusion. There may be any desired number of paddle wheels 27 at graded heights to insure a thorough and even surfaclng of the coated areas with grit. The two .paddle wheels 27 are shown by way of illustration only. These may be driven in any suitable way such as connecting gears 29 and a pulley 30 by which the wheels may be operatively connected to suitable power means. Instead of paddle wheels 27, revolving brushes with sti bristles or any other equivalent mechanism may be employed as desired. In order to insure a complete and thorough surfacing of the butt edges of the shingles with grit and in order to round off the coated an surfaced butt edges, a suitable wheel 31 may be provided havm a peripheral groove 32 in the rim thereo of sufiicient width and depth to accommodate the butt edges of successive shingles together with a suflicient body of loose grit to surround the butt edges with a substantial layer. As the shin les 13 pass the wheel 31, the latter are pre erably driven so that their peripheral speed is substantially equal to the linear speed .Of the shingle. As the wheel 31 revolves, streams of loose grit or other granular material are fed through suitable spouts 33 to maintain a continuous body of loose grit 34 in the groove 32 with which the butt edges of the shingles 13 may contact as they pass over the wheel 31. The wheel 31 is supported at such a height that the weight of the shingle will be carried by the butt edge as it passes over the wheel so that sufficient of the grit in the layer 34 will be pressed into adhering contact'with the coating on the butt edge to completely cover and mask said coating. In order to embed more thoroughly the grit adhering to the side faces of the shingles, the latter ma be run between pairs of vertical rolls 35 whic are suitably spaced and shaped so as to press the surfacing layer of grit into firm engagement with the coating on the face or faces of the strips without crushing the strips. These rolls may be slightly tilted toward each other or tapered downwardly in order to finish the butt portion of each shingle with anupward taper in thickness, the thickest portion being along the butt edge. The strips are now ready to be collected and packaged for shipment. In order to release the strips from the clamps 11 an .12, suitable cams 36, 37 may be provided as indicated in Figure 1. The cam 36 as shown is at a lower level than the cam 37 and is arranged to engage the rollers 17 of the clamps 11 at the same moment as the rollers 17 of the clamps 12 are en aged by the cam 37, so that each pair of 0 amps 11 and 12 which support a strip shingle are opened simultaneously so that the shingle is allowed to drop on a suitable conveyor 38 and carried off for packaging. It is obvious that if the conveyor 38 be elevated so that the shingles ride onto it while still gripped by the clamps 11 and 12, the latter may be released serially by-a single cam similar to the cam 18. As the shingles are liable to be somewhat soft and limp after being heated by the application of hot coating material, additional guide wheels 39 may be provided in pairs at suitably spaced intervals to support the shingles as they are carried along on the conveyor 38.

Having thus described certain embodiments of my invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim 1. The method of treating a series of individual roofing elements, which comprises advancing the elements in succession edgewise in an upright position, with butt edge down, applying liquid coating to a face and the butt edges of each element while so advancing, projecting granular surfacing matter against the coated face, and pressing granular matter a ainst the coated butt edge.

2. 6 method of treating a series of individual roofing elements, which comprises advancing each element edgewise in an upright position with butt edge down, applying liquid coating material to the butt portion of both faces of each element and to the butt edges thereof, projecting granular surfacing matter against the coated faces, and pressing granular matter against the butt edge, all during the edgewise advance of the element.

3. The method of treating a series of individual roofing elements, which comprises advancing each element edgewise in an upright position butt edge down, coating the butt portions of the faces and the butt edges with liquid waterproofing material, applying mineral surfacing matter to the coated butt edges and rounding off the edges thus surfaced, and pressing mineral surfacing matter into the coating on the faces, all during the edgewise advance of the element.

4. Apparatus for treating strip shingles which comprises an endless conveyor, a series of individual clamps carried by said conveyor and s aced along said conveyor so that each pair 0 clamps are adapted to engage a strip shingle at respective points adjacent to the ends thereof, means for normally holding each clamp closed, means at one point along the path of said clamps for opening the clamps successively to receive successively respective end portions of successive strip shingles, and means at another point along said path for opening said clamps in pairs whereby both ends of the shingle supported by each pair are simultaneously released.

5. Apparatus for treating strip shingles, comprising a pair of guide rails adapted to receive and guide a strip shingle edgewise between them, a belt conveyor under a portion of the length of said rails to support and move strip shingles endwise between said rails, a conveyor above a portion of said rails, having a series of s aced clamps arranged in pairs to grip the shlngles carried by said belt conveyor, and to carry them fortreatment, the clam s of each pair gripping respective end portlons of a shingle a second belt conveyor to receive the treated shingles, and means for o erating each successive pair of clamps simu taneously to release the shingles as they come upon said second belt.

adapted to receive the butt edge of said shingle, and means for pouring grit into said groove where said butt edge is received.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

FREDERICK C. OVERBURY. 

